7/28/09

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Nancy Badertscher

Citing an unprecedented drop in state revenues, the State Board of Education cleared the way Tuesday to furlough teachers for three days — and possibly as many as seven more.

Officials have estimated that the state can save $33 million a day for each day that the state’s 120,000 teachers take unpaid furloughs.

Some school systems, including DeKalb and Cobb, are resisting the push to furlough, opting instead to find money in their own coffers to pay teachers for those three days. Most of metro Atlanta’s other systems, including Gwinnett and Fulton, have announced furlough plans.

A majority of the state’s 180 school systems expect to have furloughs, and they could not do that without the State Board of Education waiving the requirement that teachers work 190 days — 180 in the classroom and 10 days in planning or training.

The school board vote — which was unanimous — approves the current three furlough days and gives school systems the flexibility to impose up to seven more furlough days, for a total of 10, should economic conditions worsen.

“It’s my hope that we don’t have to do this again,” State Schools Superintendent Kathy Cox said, “and that we find other ways to cut.”

Systems will not be allowed to reduce the 180 days of instruction, she said. “We’re going to stand up for our teachers and our students so they can achieve academic success,” Cox said.

Gov. Sonny Perdue announced the furloughs last week and said they were needed to help fill a $900 million gap in the 2010 budget, due largely to double-digit declines in state revenue.

Cox pointed out that employees at the State Department of Education have endured layoffs and furloughs.

DOE employees are taking five unpaid furlough days between now and December, she said.

“It kind of stinks, but everybody’s doing their part,” Cox said.

On Monday, DeKalb County schools on Monday joined Cobb County schools in deciding against three furlough days for their teachers.

The DeKalb school board voted to eliminate payments to retirement savings accounts for teachers and administrators as a buffer against this and other state funding cuts.